Does Squamish need to be ravaged by wildfire like Jasper?
It feels like that might be the only way to get through to some people about their reckless behaviour.
On July 22, 2024, at 9:59 p.m., had to evacuate due to approaching wildfires.
By the time it was over, , including an estimated 800 homes, according to the Edmonton Journal.
The town is still in the early rebuilding phase, almost a year later, with insurer-coordinated debris removal completed just this month, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Next is environmental testing of properties, which will be followed by permits to build.
Jasper is and was a town that depends on tourism.
Visitors are being invited back, as there is much to still see and do, but there is a long list of things tourists must be aware of as they navigate an area impacted in many ways by the fire.
Can you imagine what that means for the individuals, businesses and organizations who lived and worked there? For kids who go to school there?
Hard for us to fathom, but we must.
So far this wildfire season, which began April 1, Squamish has seen two wildfires already.
Both are suspected to be human-caused.
The Jasper wildfire was caused by lightning.
That could happen here too, but we drastically increase our risk of a devastating event by adding to the tally of wildfires with senseless behaviour.
, there have been 172 wildfires in B.C. since April 1, burning 1,564 hectares of land.
Of those, 88% were human-caused.
We know that we should completely put out our campfire. We should know now that target shooting in undesignated areas could cause a fire, or worse.
We know the environment is more conducive to wildfires now than when some of us were young.
Parks Canada says the warming climate likely contributed to the conditions that intensified the 2024 Jasper wildfire.
The BC Wildfire Service says these are the top ways people cause wildfires in the province: open burning, vehicle and engine use, industrial activity, fireworks, sky lanterns, outdoor flame lighting, discarding burning items like cigarettes, and arson.
We can’t prevent every mistake, but we must do better.
There was a time when many of us in Squamish likely didn’t think twice about throwing pop cans into the water while fishing or into the trash at home.
Now, those things seem hard to believe.
People can change.
Sometimes it takes more time, and sometimes it takes a tragedy.
Unfortunately, we don’t have more time.
